Vice President's Secretariat
Think critically & analyse matters factually; do not be doctored and compartmentalised by others, the Vice-President tells young minds
Vice-President calls upon the teaching fraternity to antidote and neutralise anti-national forces
Young people should dominate social media with positive, growth-oriented ideas, says the Vice-President
No citizen is above the law; take recourse to legal route, not to the streets- VP
Teachers create human resource, must be celebrated for their mentorship, notes the Vice-President
The precedence that society must give to teachers is beyond official protocol, says the VP
We are like Ekalavya- even without formal training, a citizen in rural India can teach himself what is required through smartphone- VP
We cannot allow others to calibrate us; this calibration is a kind of servitude, compromises our independence and nationalism- Vice-President
The National Education Policy is a great advantage that you are getting- VP
Vice-President addresses the Student Interaction Meet and Educationists Interaction Meet at MNIT, Jaipur
The Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today cautioned young minds against being doctored and compartmentalised by others. He also called upon the teaching fraternity to rise to the occasion to ‘antidote and neutralise anti-national forces’ in view of the highly impactful voice that they have in the wider social space.
The Vice-President was addressing students and faculty members at the Student Interaction Meet and Educationists Interaction Meet: National Education Policy 2020, at the Malaviya National Institute of Technology in Jaipur today.
Emphasizing that no citizen is above the law, the Vice-President expressed his concern at people taking to the streets when served a notice for contravention of law, rather than taking recourse to a legal route. “We can't claim to be a society governed by law if someone is above the law or has immunity from law. I am not a stakeholder with politics but I am concerned with the rule of law and societal growth,” he explained.
Highlighting that India “is on the rise as never before”, the Vice-President emphasized that the country’s incremental trajectory will be further accelerated by the contributions of young people. “These are not the times when India has to give out its opinion to the world. Times have changed; the world is looking at India,” he said. It is important for citizens to believe in the nation and take pride in India’s achievements, he further added.
Lauding India’s internet penetration and drawing attention to the country’s 700 million internet users, the Vice-President underlined the self-sufficiency of Indians in terms of acquiring skills. “We Indians have a strong DNA. We are like Ekalavya- even without any formal training, a citizen in rural India is capable of teaching himself what is required simply through his smartphone,” he said.
Noting the significant role played by young people in the domain of startups and unicorns in the country, the Vice-President expressed his admiration that “young boys and girls are giving a tough time to established industrialists”. He encouraged them to act on their ideas and execute them, without being afraid of failures or letting themselves be bogged down by competition. The National Education Policy 2020 will provide a great advantage to propel them forward, he added.
Acknowledging Dr. Sarvalli Radhakrishnan and Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Shri Dhankhar pointed out that these eminent personalities continue to be best remembered not as former President or Vice-President of India, but as great teachers who touched the lives of their students. Teachers create human resource, and must therefore be celebrated for their mentorship, he said.
How good an Institute is, it is not defined by the infrastructure or the buildings, but it is defined by the faculty, the Vice-President stressed. “I tell everyone: the precedence the society must give to the teachers is beyond the official protocol. This is a protocol emanating from the heart and mind working together,” he added.
Reminding students that they need not change themselves, but must change the world, the Vice-President encouraged young minds to generate think critically, analyse matters factually and dominate social media with positive, growth-oriented ideas. “We cannot allow pernicious narratives by sinister minds to set afloat to decry or demean our institutions and growth,” he said. “We cannot allow others to calibrate us. This calibration is some kind of servitude, it is compromising our independence and nationalism,” he further elucidated. He also expressed his disapproval at people tarnishing India’s democratic credentials when abroad, and making attempts to undermine India’s progress.
Prof. N. P. Padhy, Director, MNIT Jaipur, Prof. Anand Bhalerao, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Rajasthan, senior faculty members and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
Following the interactions, the Vice-President also inaugurated and visited an Exhibition on the Ministry of Education Flagship Program at the institute.